The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1887-11-27
TWO STRANGERS AT SALT LAKE

railway. He at once autographed to his
chief topographer, James T. Gardner,
who was then in the field in western
Utah directing him TO endeaVor to dis
cover at what point Janln had left the
railroad and where he had on his re-
turn boarded the wesJ-bound train.
Gardner learned that the party had dis
EN- marked near the western boundary
of Wyoming and had again struck the
road some 125 mics to the east. He was
also fortunate enough to fall in with the
cook who, in the course of converse
ton, let drop the remark that the party
had remained some days near pine
covered mountain.
King had been greatly cast down by
the news that diamond field of meal
culable value had been discovered right
in the line of his survey, and believed
that his professional reputation was
gone forever, as the report Of Janin car
RED the same conviction to his mind
that it had done to those who had en-
ployed her. Determined, however, to
sift the matter to the bottom, he at
once prepared to set out in search OF
the fields. 1t was now late in October
and no time was to be lost. Two parties
belonging to the fortieth parallel survey
were at that time in the field, one south
OF Cheyenne, and another in the Reese
River country in Nevada. King dis
patched messengers TO each, directing
them without moments delay TO ser d
their best men and animals to Fort
Bridger, Wyoming, and took the train
for that point himself. The only clue
in his possession as to the whereabouts
of the field was the fact that Janin had
left the railroad
NEAR FORT BRIDGER,
had gone south, had been absent about
a month, and had stopped some time
near q pine-covered mountain. This
would have been of little value to most
men. but six years campaigning had
given King a most intimate acquaint-
ance with the mountains of the Great
Basin, and he knew that there were but
three covered with pines in that region.
The vicinity of these he determined to
thoroughly explore, and to convince
himself once for all whether he had
passed unnoJiced so wonderful and
valuable treasure as Janin reported.
He decided to organize two parties,
one commanded by himself, which was
to push forward as rapidly as possible,
and the other TO follow as best 1t might,
and to go over the ground more care
fully than he in his haste would do. The
first division consisted OF but five men,
King himself, his most trusted lieuten-
AMI, Mr.. 5 +. Emmons, Ebert Hunter
and Paul Pjnson, the best packers i'll
the party, and a cook.
On November 9Th, the party set out.
The objective point was an outlying
spur of the Wasatch range, some $50
miles south OF Fort Bridger and lying
near the boundary
BETWEEN UTAH AND WYOMING.
Rapid marches were made in lite of
the intense cold and severe storm
which set in on the second days march,
Then the thermometer sank 10 degrees
below zero and tue tentless travellers
uttered severely. All, however, were
tanned and hardened mountaine erS,
and their seasoned animals carrie,
them so rapidly over the rough country
that on the afternoon of the sixth day
they reached their objective point. Here
disappointment awaited them. Up and
down the streams they went, seeking
for traces of washing, but the ground
was unbroken, and on the third day
search was abandoned, and the party
pushed northTard some twenty miles
to the next pine-ciad mountain. They
reached this an hour before sunset, and
were just preparing to camp on the
banks of stream when shout from
Pinson was heard, and on going to
where he was standing, some 100 yards
from the rest of the party, King saw a
claim notice signed by Henry Janin
nailed TO pine tree, and just below, On
the bank of the creek, traces easily re-
cognized as those left by placer miners.
Without pausing for supper, California
cradle, used in washing for gold, was
unpacked and all set to work. At the
first trial
NUMBER OF RUBIRs AND SEVERAL DIA-
MoNDs
were found, and before night put an
end to the work small bottle had been
Allied with Jewels washed from the bed
of the stream.
a gloomy party sat acouud the camp
fire that night. King felt that his re-
putation WIS gone forever. and his
friends heartily sympathiZed with him.
In the morning they again set to work,
to discover the extent and richness Of
the places. Scarcely an hour had
elapsed when King began to feel sus-
plcious. Proceeding up stream he could
find neither diamonds nor rubies, while
from every cradIeful of earth in the
vicinity of Janin's washing one or more
stones were taken. Following line of
excavations along the top of the bluff
bordering the stream the samessuccess
was met with, but nothing could be dis
covered in the debris at the bottom. The
earth in the neighborhood of certain
aut-hills was seen to be beaten hard 10
if by passing feet, and in these hills
both diamonds and rubies were found,
while those in the immediate vicinity
we're barren.
A series OF experiments carefully ear
ried out proved that the diamonds were
confined to a small area, and the situa-
tons in which they were found, coupled
with their absence il other places,
proved conyulsively that the claim had
been sailed. Kings keen eye led to
discovery that made assurance doubly
sure. AS he was sitting Oh the ground
eating his dinner of bread and bacon,
his eye fell upon an ant-hill, upon the
top Of which were the ashes of fire. 1t
st once occurred to him that no one
-